Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Assessments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Exeter schools report mixed early-year assessment results; district plans targeted interventions
Summary
Principals and curriculum staff presented fall iReady diagnostics, last year's New Hampshire SAS results and school-level trends. District leaders highlighted gains in several grades, a notable rise in fifth-grade science at Lincoln Street, ongoing intervention programs and scheduling pressures from a shortened state testing window.
Principals and curriculum staff for Exeter School District presented assessment results and instructional plans at the school board meeting, describing where students began this fall and how the district will use iReady and state SAS data to target instruction.
District administrators said fall iReady diagnostics show year-to-year movement and provide guidance for grouping students for targeted interventions. "We administer the iReady diagnostic three times a year — fall, winter and spring — and use it for instructional planning, progress monitoring and family communication," a Main Street presenter said.
Why it matters: the diagnostics and state test scores guide how staff allocate intervention time (Tier 2 and Tier 3) and refine classroom instruction so students who are behind receive research-based support before the end of the year.
Key findings and details - Main Street (fall diagnostic): 42% of students were reported on or above grade level in reading at the start of the year; staff noted that figure was 34% a year earlier. Presenters said they will watch implementation of the building'wide benchmark reading program as a factor in future results.
- Main Street (spring/vs fall year-over-year data discussed by staff): presenters explained iReady reports show prior-year final diagnostics and current starting points; they said kindergarten entry this year appears stronger than last year based on local screenings and teacher reports.
- Districtwide summary from a reading specialist: "Our students grew from 56% in the beginning of the year to 73% at the end of the year for reading," the staff member said, and reported that students two or more grade levels below declined from 20% to 7% over the year, which the presenter attributed to the district's intervention staffing and programs.
- Lincoln Street SAS results (spring 2025): principals reported roughly 70% of assessed third- through fifth-graders were proficient or above in English language arts; math proficiency was reported near 72% across tested grades; fifth-grade science rose from 47% proficient/above to 63% year over year (state average cited as 36% for context).
Instructional response: presenters described school-level "Win" time and Math Win groupings, curriculum resources (exemplars and other problem-solving materials), and STEAM and benchmark literacy work used to build vocabulary and content knowledge. Staff said they are shifting some small-group instruction based on domain-level iReady results (for example, focusing earlier on number-and-operations or measurement/geometry domains in math Win groups).
Testing schedule and logistics: administrators warned the state has shortened the New Hampshire SAS testing window this year, compressing testing into a tighter period around April/May and complicating planning. The district also will participate in NAEP sampling for fourth grade, adding another assessment to schedule. Staff said they may move the district's midyear iReady window earlier to avoid overloading students at year-end.
What's next: principals said they will continue disaggregating iReady data by domain and cohort, monitor spring SAS domain scores when the state publishes them, and report back to the board with refined grouping and intervention plans.
